Gundam MG MS-18E Kemper

by Bandai

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000062TR8
• Item model number: GUNDAM
• Our recommended age: 8 - 12 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #215,558 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Smashing good fun!, October 6, 2005

By 

Spartacus - See all my reviews

= Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Gundam MG MS-18E Kemper (Toy)

The first thing to be said about this kit is aimed at the beginning gundam modeler; the Kampfer should not be the first kit you've ever built. Go ahead and buy it, as any price below $35 shipped is a good one, but hold onto it until you've had experience. I'd recommend starting with a 1/100 HG, then moving up to a MG Zaku II (which is basically a slightly overgrown HG), and then another master grade or two of your choice. I say that because this is one of the more difficult Master Grades that I've built. Now on to the meat of this review.

It is important to note that this is an older kit. That doesn't detract from its design or its construction, per se, but to those modelers who are familiar with the plastic of the newer kits it will become apparent that the plastic used in the Kampfer isn't as easy to work with. It's certainly not horrible, and is leaps and bounds above the HG plastic, but it's not the super soft kind used on the Zetas or Freedoms.

Bandai's skill ratings are based on piece count, thus certain kits such as the Zaku II may recieve a Master Grading by virtue of those little plastic rings you slide onto hoses-- that is, they have a fair number of pieces, but there is no complexity or special detail in it. That cannot be said of the Kampfer kit. All of the parts had a purpose, and added to the overall detail of the kit while not being too "cheap" as in the Zaku II. While the outer paneling may suggest a certain simplicity of construction, it can all be pulled away from the appendages to reveal a moderately detailed endoskeleton. There are also a fair number of moving parts, including the wrists and fingers (thumb and forefinger move independant while the remaining 3 fingers move in tandem), the elbows (flex and unflexed only), the shoulders (away from body, into body, rotation along the Z-axis, forward and backwards, as well as the movement of the pauldron), the legs and feet (bending of the knees, slight flexibility around the ankle though the armor restricts this somewhat, forward and backwards at the hips with slight play side to side, and toes that curl under...oddly enough) as well as the head (normal X-Y motion along with the monocle which moves along the X-axis). There are also some rocket thrusters which slide in and out of housings on the legs.

While the Kampfer's overall kit design and construction process is in good order and great fun, it is not perfect. Some of the joints are secured by screws in order to stay tight, but the pilot holes are not horribly useful. I couldn't tell you how many times I pulled the screws out to start over, and I probably would have continued with that cycle had the screws not stripped down. Other kits have the same method of securing the joints, but without the same amount of difficulty. Furthermore, there are a couple of "hoses" which are plastic with a mesh or cloth tubing around it. The effect is pretty cool once completed, but the mesh is finicky and a bit annoying to work with. Still, these shortcomings are paltry in comparison to the overall benefits of the kit.

In summation, this was a lot of fun to build with decent (if not always wonderful) poseability, and a detailed design and construction. Though there were a few rough edges, this is otherwise a wonderful kit with hours of fun and great number of accessories to boot. I highly recommend this to the moderately experienced builder, and to those that haven't quite that level of experience I suggest you jump on this kit for when you do have the experience suggested. I am confident that gundam and mecha fans alike will not be dissapointed.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really fun to build, but really sad to pay., December 17, 2003

By 

Dr. Matthew R. Snyder (Elizabethton, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Gundam MG MS-18E Kemper (Toy)

This Gundam model kit is from the 0080 War in the Pocket series. It is a Master Grade 1/100 and comes with an internal skeleton and is usually more durable and takes longer to build than HG. The Kampfer has a large variety of weapons ranging from shotguns to bazookas and a beam saber. I would recommend this to someone 11 and older with supervision for the first time. Or I would try a 1/144 or 1/100 HG version which are much cheaper. Always helps to have practice. Sadly I do not know why the price is so high on the English model kits. I bought a Japanese version for 37 USD and had to go by the pictures on building it but thats fine by me.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bigger than I imagined...well worth the price..., May 7, 2005

By 

Vincent Lau "ViciousV" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:1.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Gundam MG MS-18E Kemper (Toy)

This is one of the more popular Gundam models out there, and one of the more detailed amongst the MG series. Truly worth the price I paid. If you're just starting out building models, I'd suggest one of the 1/144 scale models instead, as you'd probably want to get the hang of it with those first. You'll come to realize that you'll want to do everything with more and more care as you build more and more models. Having everything perfect with this one will be well worth the patience and time in the end. Painting is not a must as the parts are all colored plastic, but for the advanced who have air brushes, this is definitely one of the models you'll want to use for that diarama you've been wanting to build. Check the internet and you'll see many built ones with many variations and color schemes. It'll not only motivate you and show you the potential this model has, but will give you great ideas as well. Happy building!